Subject: Re: [HM] symbol for infinity
From: Randy K. Schwartz (rschwart@schoolcraft.cc.mi.us)
Date: Wed Jan 12 2000 - 16:22:03 EST
[Heinz Lueneburg]
>
> You will find the sign oo on the Roman abacus which is in the
> Biblioth\eque Nationale in Paris.
[Karen Dee Michalowicz]
>
> There's a Roman Abacus with oo in the British Museum, also.
[John Conway]
>
> Is it clear what the symbol means in either of these abaci? Does
> it, for instance, head a "column" devoted to some large number?
> I ask because otherwise it's quite probable that it's just part
> of the decoration.
Yes, it does appear to signify the column devoted to 1000, judging from the
illustrations on pages 305-6 of the English translation of Karl Menninger's
*Number Words and Number Symbols* (Dover, 1969). The photo printed there on
p. 305 shows the plaster cast of a Roman hand abacus said to be held in the
Cabinet des Me/dailles in Paris, with the column in question carved with a
symbol somewhat like (|) and situated between those carved with the symbols
C and ((|)) respectively. The accompanying sketches on pp. 305-6 suggest how
easily the symbol could be construed as (or have evolved into?) the
lazy-eight figure and also, as has been argued elsewhere, the symbol M.
=============================================
Prof. Randy K. Schwartz
Department of Mathematics
Liberal Arts Building
Schoolcraft College
18600 Haggerty Road
Livonia, MI 48152-2696 USA
email rschwart@schoolcraft.cc.mi.us
voice 734/462-4400 extn. 5290
fax 734/462-4558
"In the Inn of the world there is room for
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